News and Events
April Public Health Month Calender
The Power of One
The Women of Color Giving Circle of Berkshires is hosting this moving and powerful event on Thursday, April 12th at 7pm, featuring Jeanet T. Ingalls. Details and contact information are listed on the flyer, and can be viewed on the website as well. http://www.shoutoutloudproductions.com In addition, here is the link for tickets and registration: http://thepowerofone1.eventbrite.com
If you are unable to attend, and would like to lend your support donations are also welcome.
Posted 3.22.13
Mass Dept of Public Health hosts Regional Health Dialogues
Please join MDPH Commissioner John Auerbach for a statewide series of Regional Health Dialogues to discuss:
“The Public Health Department of the Future”
Please visit MDPH website or locations, times and up-to-date details, including changes due to adverse weather conditions.
Posted 3.12.12
Stop. Think and Let it Go campaign launch
The "Stop. Think and Let it Go." video campaign is created by ARGUS partnership with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services as part of the Governor's Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, designed to end youth violence in our communities. Through emotional testimonials of people who have lost loved ones to violence, the video encourages youth to think and reconsider the consequences of their actions before they engage in violence.
Click here to view the “Stop. Think. Let it Go" video.
Posted 2.24.12
Return on Investment for Prevention and Wellness
Learn about innovative and replicable programs that prove prevention reduces cost and improves health status.
March 27, 2012, 7:45-2:30
Westin-Waltham Hotel, 70 Third Ave, Waltham, MA
Posted 2.23.12
Mass Farm to School Convention
We are very excited to announce our second statewide Farm to School Convention to be held on March 15, 2012 at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA! Sessions will begin at 9 and end at 4:45. Registration opens at 8:15 and attendance includes a lunch featuring locally sourced ingredients.
This full-day convention will feature leaders in the farm to school movement providing information on everything from creating school gardens to overcoming logistical barriers to local foods procurement to the growing partnerships between schools and community farms.
Come hear how inspiring food service directors, educators, and students are building connections between cafeterias, dining halls, classrooms, and farms in Massachusetts - and learn what you can do to further those connections. Workshop topics include school gardens, innovative distribution strategies, the FoodCorps, successful menu change, farm to preschool programs, and more.
For more information and to register, click here.
Posted 2.23.12
Save the Date:
RX Drugs: Fact or Fiction? Community Luncheon
April 25, 10am-1pm
Basketball Hall of Fame, Mass Mutual Gallery
1000 W. Columbus Ave
Springfield, MA 01105
Lunch provided while supplies last.
Posted 2.23.12
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Marijuana Resource Center
The new web-based Marijuana Resource Center provides information for coalitions to better understand and address marijuana in their communities. The site focuses on emerging issues, research, and prevention tools. It also highlights successful local efforts to reduce marijuana use and has an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.
Posted 2.14.12
2012 Conferences
We have released our list of 2012 conferences related to public health, substance abuse prevention, nutrition, physical activity and more...We will update periodically throughout the year.
Posted 12.15.11
ChopChop: a free newsletter about cooking for families
Massachusetts Department of Public Health has released their first ChopChop newsletter devoted to healthy cooking for families. Share the link on your website or through email so families can take advantage of some great recipes. Check back in the future to view each month's newsletter.
The newsletter is the product of an innovative partnership with the national ChopChop magazine.
Posted 12.21.11
Western Massachusetts Center for Healthy Communities issues policy brief on Medical Marijuana
Please visit our Policy & Advocacy page for WMCHC’s new policy statement on medical marijuana.
Posted 11.11.11
Healthy People/Healthy Economy releases report card on Massachusetts
Want to see how Massachusetts is doing with regards to creating supportive environments for healthy eating and active living? Click here to veiw the full report.
Posted 9.22.11
Be Healthy this Summer - Connecticut River Water Quality Monitoring Project
A water quality monitoring project, conducted by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and Connecticut River Watershed Council in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center, examines water temperature and bacteria at eight recreational sites along the Connecticut River mainstem, one site along the Chicopee River, and multiple sites on other tributaries throughout the Connecticut River’s watershed in Massachusetts.The data collected provides a more complete picture of the river’s health and understanding about sources of contamination. This will be useful information for recreational users, who have direct contact with the waters, and local, state, and federal health and environmental officials.
Posted 7.19.11
Public Health Council Passes Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods and Beverages in Public Schools
On July 13, 2011, the Massachusetts Public Health Council approved new regulations designed to ensure that public schools offer students food and beverage choices that will enhance learning, contribute to their healthy growth and development, and cultivate lifelong healthy eating behaviors. Public health officials believe these strong standards will serve as an important step in reducing childhood obesity in the Commonwealth and support the state's wellness initiatives.
The new regulation takes effect with the 2012-2013 school year. An overview of the regulation is available here.
Posted 7.14.11
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011
Today, more than two out of three states, 38 total, have obesity rates over 25 percent, and just one has a rate lower than 20 percent. Since 1995, when data was available for every state, obesity rates have doubled in seven states and increased by at least 90 percent in 10 others. “Today, the state with the lowest obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995,” said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of Trust for America’s Health. “There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the last twenty years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending.”
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011-- Trust for America's Health, a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, outlines obesity rates across the USA. For the first time, the report examines how the obesity epidemic has grown over the past two decades.
F as in Fat 2011 Massachusetts highlights the specifics of what public health officials are seeing in our state.
Posted 7.11.11
Cooley Dickinson Hospital releases report on the health of Hampshire County and Franklin County residents
Diabetes and obesity are on the rise in Hampshire and Franklin counties, according to a Cooley Dickinson Hospital-commissioned report that can now be downloaded from here.
The 2011 Community Health Assessment report is the result of a two-year process led by Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Healthy Communities Committee, a subcommittee of the Hospital’s Board of Trustees.
Among the findings:
- Increases in diabetes and obesity mirror state-wide trends. In 2008, the percentage of people who had been diagnosed with diabetes in Hampshire and Franklin counties was approximately 7%, up from 5.5% in 2004.
- The number of adults who are overweight or obese has been increasing. As of 2009, 51.3% of adults in Hampshire County and 58% of adults in Franklin County were overweight or obese, compared to 57.5% in Massachusetts.
- Higher proportions of people in Hampshire and Franklin Counties consumer five or more fruits and vegetables a day as compared to the state as a whole, but still less than 50% consume the recommended amount per day.
The Healthy Communities Committee has sought to understand the health status of the community by collecting data, building relationships with local partners, and engaging the community in conversations about building a healthier community.
“This report will help us to better understand where the areas of need are in our community. It will help Cooley Dickinson to focus its efforts to reduce the burden of disease for communities and populations that need it most,” according to Jenny Reynolds, Chair of the Healthy Communities Committee and member of the Board of Trustees.
The report, which includes data based on surveys from Amherst, Easthampton and Northampton residents, is also intended as a tool for local organizations seeking comprehensive health data, while filling a gap identified by many working in health-related fields.
“Until now, there has been no recent comprehensive assessment conducted and disseminated locally. We plan to update this report periodically to continue to provide people with the best available data in a format that is accessible and useful for a variety of purposes,“ says Sarah Bankert, co-editor of the report and Prevention Specialist at the Western Mass Center for Healthy Communities, a program of Cooley Dickinson Hospital.
The report can be downloaded from the Cooley Dickinson website, www.cooley-dickinson.org/about/community-benefits and click on Community Health Assessment 2011. To request a paper copy of the report, contact Sarah Bankert at sarah_bankert@cooley-dickinson.org.
Posted 4.19.11
Report by the Food Trust shows need for more grocery stores in Western Mass
Commissioned by the Massachusetts Public Health Association, the report examined the number of grocery stores per capita and found that, compared to the national average, Massachusetts is third from the bottom when it comes to number of grocery stores per person. The report includes data for the Western Mass region.
Posted 4.19.11
Massachusetts Initiates New Certification for Prevention Specialists
The prevention specialist certification deadline for the grandfathering period has been extended to December 2013.
order forms test study guide manuals
Below is the information necessary to be certified as a prevention specialist in MA.
Grandparenting Requirements
Application Instructions
Application
Supervisor Verification
For any questions, please contact:
José Morales
617-624-5142
Jose.morales@state.ma.us